Nick Sage from Bloomington, MN, graduated from the UNL PGA Golf Management Program in December 2013. He is now the Assistant Golf Professional at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, MN, site of the 2016 Ryder Cup matches. We thought it would be fun to follow Nick through the year as Hazeltine prepares to host this prestigious international event. Below is his first installment.
My name is Nick Sage and I am a Class A PGA Professional at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, MN. My time at Nebraska was memorable for more than Husker football; I was fortunate to be a Teaching Assistant for two years, serve as the PGA Golf Management Student Club President, and represent the Nebraska program at the annual PGA Golf Management University Program Leadership Session in Port St. Lucie, FL. I was also able to intern at four of the top 100 golf facilities in the country: Interlachen Country Club in Edina, MN; Hazeltine National; Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, CA; and Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, PA. After I graduated, I spent a winter in Florida at Jupiter Hills Club, after which I was lucky enough to be hired back by Hazeltine, where I have been ever since.
Hazeltine National Golf Club opened for play in 1962. It was founded by former USGA President, Totton P. Heffelfinger and famed golf course architect, Robert Trent Jones. Heffelfinger wanted to build a golf course suitable for national championships and hired Jones to design the golf course. Hazeltine National has a very rich history of hosting national championships and the membership supports that mission. It has been the site of: 1966 and 1977 U.S. Women's Open, 1970 and 1991 U.S. Open, 1983 U.S. Senior Open, 1994 USGA Mid-Amateur Championship, 1999 NCAA Championships, 2001 USGA State Team Championship, 2006 U.S. Amateur Championship, and the 2002 and 2009 PGA Championship. After Hazeltine hosts the 2016 Ryder Cup matches, only one other golf course in the country will have hosted every major USGA and PGA championship, and that is Pinehurst #2.
In spite of that rich history, Hazeltine did not have a room dedicated to telling its story. The upcoming Ryder Cup provided the incentive to change that. The previous championships held at Hazeltine have been big, but nothing will compare to the exposure provided by this international event. The Super Bowl has about 100 million television viewers; the Ryder Cup has about 800 million viewers worldwide. The Ryder Cup will likely be the biggest event the state of Minnesota will ever host. So, in the winter of 2014, I was given the task of organizing an archive room, which is now known as the Hazeltine National Golf Club Heritage Collection. I logged more than 400 hours archiving, scanning and preserving Hazeltine's finest memorabilia. The Hazeltine Heritage Collection has had many visitors in its short existence including Mark Rolfing of NBC Sports, Davis Love III, 2016 U.S. Ryder Cup captain, Darren Clarke, 2016 European Ryder Cup Captain, and Tony Jacklin, 1970 U.S. Open Champion as well as one of the most successful European Ryder Cup players and captains ever to play. Organizing the Heritage Collection is one of the highlights in my short career in the golf business. (See photos accompanying this article that were taken in the Heritage Collection room.)
During the last weekend in September, the PGA of America, which runs the Ryder Cup, hosted its "Year-Out" celebration. Both captains as well as the entire PGA of America staff and European Ryder Cup staff were at Hazeltine. There were several press conferences and interviews with both captains. The weekend was capped off with a night in downtown Minneapolis called "Ryder Cup: Year Out, a Night with the Captains." Both captains were on stage with Golf Channel personality David Feherty who interviewed both captains, providing a preview of what is to come next year at Hazeltine.
The UNL PGA Golf Management Program prepared me to be an asset to a club like Hazeltine National Golf Club as it gets ready to host the biggest golf event in the world. It is an honor to be part of a club that prides itself on its rich history.
More details at: http://go.unl.edu/qtkh